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Cornelius d'Harald
'Cornelius d'Harald' Hero of Jayne, The Impossible Man, Last Son of d'Harald Age: 32 Affiliations: Imperial Army, Outvillages of Taelarys Shires Player: Gengy ''Physical Description: Cornelius is a mountain of a man; impressive being the first word to come to mind when you look at him. Sculptors take one look at his rippling muscles, and know they have found a model for the human man. Woman spot his disarming good looks and they can't resist smiling at him - which, being the man's man that he is, Cornelius shows them his winsome smile back. Usually dressed in the finest doublets and hose, with the most comfortable looking shirts that - just barely - shows off his manly chest, Cornelius's one imperfection on his body (and his one minor annoyance in life) is that he has gone completely bald at an early age. He quietly has muttered something about a curse, when people politely ask. But woe betide anyone whom should call him "Baldy". ''Personality: Cornelius likes to think he is a lover, not a fighter... but really, he's a lover of fighting. Quick to smell adventure, always looking for a challenge, Cornelius laughs in the face of danger - loud and long. He likes to appear clever, and sometimes, he is... but most people who stay in association with him for too long will begin to see that his posturing and boasting of his prowess can sometimes be exactly that. Just posturing and boasting. He can be - and has - been tricked many times before into doing foul deeds. But the people who trick him usually don't get away with it for long. He was one time described as a quiet person... but not everyone stays a baby. He turned seventeen months old, and discovered he could make sounds. The d'Harald family nearly dissolved on the spot, to get away from the squalor. In short, Cornelius loves the sound of his own voice, and will speak at every given opportunity. Many of his foes have given up, if only to get him to be quiet - though some have been spurred to try harder to kill him. Most see it as a pity that they can't. For whatever reason, Cornelius has continued to do the impossible. He was asked once (by the beaten and battered Unrighteous Phoenix, Destroyer of the town of Thursday no, it was on a Tuesday) how in the great heavens Cornelius was not dead from everything that had been done to him. Cornelius just replied, "I'm just lucky, I suppose." Cornelius doesn't think too much about how he's escaped so many close calls. Other people say that he fought Death and won. Others say that he lost, but the Heavens and Hells couldn't handle him. When these rumors reach Cornelius's ears, he just grins his winsome smile. And then tells a story. It's different, every time. ''History: Facts, in the face of The Impossible Man are very fluid. The only things known for sure are these: House d'Harald was once a prosperous and wealthy family within Taelarys. Mostly, they supported the Imperial Army by buying and selling Oats and Beans. This made them both popular and unpopular at the same time. After all, a soldier will be happy that he gets food... but that doesn't mean that they won't complain that it's not better fare. By 3795 AoT, House d'Harald had weathered the storms of the complaints for generations. Until Cornelius's father, Horus d'Harald struck upon the idea of magically making Beans. Less cost, more profit. Though many family members tried to tell Horus not to, as the head of the family, he did it anyway and hired several influential sorcerers to teach him magic. After a year, he could Summon One Bean. After three years, Summoned Bowl of Beans was a success, with twenty seven perfect beans. And Horus continued to develop his magical might, until finally, he was able to Summon Years-supply of Beans (roughly 30,546,987 beans, give or take 21). By then, of course, the rest of the business was failing. So the d'Harald family was ecstatic to sell the entire stock to the Imperial Army for a tidy profit. Two days later, after the summoned beans disappeared due to the magical effects not lasting forever (and possibly a stray Dismiss spell from a rival family), the Imperial Army demanded it's money back. In 3807 AoT, House d'Harald died out in disgrace and failure, with Horus d'Harald taking his own life in purest shame. He never taught anyone else his Bean Counting spells. At that time, though, Cornelius had already started wandering, in search of adventure. He heard of his family's downfall, and decided not to go back - not just yet. Not till he'd become something himself first. And something he became. The Hero of Jayne : In 3810 AoT, the Battle of Jayne took place. A small farming village, it was beset by a band of robbers and cutthroats - deserters from the Imperial Army. Led by an ex-Captain, the Imperial Army had been after them for months. But some strange magics were protecting the brigands, and they were not only getting away with their schemes, they were growing in strength. The Imperial Army kept it quiet - or tried to - but with so many places getting attacked, it was becoming a publicity nightmare. The ex-Captain was beginning to make a name for himself; Captain Bloody, and his band was starting to call themselves the Bloody Raiders. : : They would attack small villages, just outside of a days ride from Taelarys, and be gone before the Imperial Army arrived, leaving only bloody death and unspeakable destruction in their wake. :: : Until they tried to attack Jayne. :: : As the story goes, Cornelius was just a visitor at the local tavern. The Bloody Raiders swooped in, and started hooting and hollering. Cornelius stepped outside, and the Bloody Raiders just... fell silent. They weren't sure how a man like this - so tall, so strong, so impressive - could exist. One plucked up the courage to attack, and Cornelius just frowned and punched the poor bandit, breaking not just his spear, but also several ribs. :: : Two more attacked. Both of their heads were knocked together, and their weapons were dropped. :: : Five men tackled him. They were all thrown in the air, but one, who rested upon Cornelius's shoulder, dazed, and listening to the Last Son of d'Harald talk about the weather. :: : Captain Bloody himself took up a sword and charged at the mountain of a man, urging his cutthroats onward. None followed him. :: : Cornelius excused the man on his shoulder, carefully set him down, borrowed the dazed man's sword, and then turned to face the leader of the Bloody Raiders. :: : The Captain seemed to try and use some sort of magical amulet that was causing him to appear and disappear. Cornelius was confused, at first, but then decided he wouldn't put up with that any longer, and stabbed his sword to the left, at empty space. :: : Empty space that soon held the dying form of Captain Bloody, a look of purest shock on his face. :: : Cornelius didn't appear so shocked. He pulled free the sword, wiped it clean, gave it back to the dazed and (now) unconscious brigand from before, and looked up at the remaining Raiders. He just cocked his head at them, waiting. :: : They fled. :: : Cornelius also left, in less of a rush, but before the Imperial Army arrived. The Village of Jayne had already started signing Corenlius's praises, and were passing the tale along to other villages. The Hero of Jayne was born. :: : Though, when Cornelius tells it, he still had his hair then. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Many other stories were spread about him over the years. Many know how he - once and for all - slew the Unrighteous Phoenix, Destroyer of Thursday. The popular taverns tell of his victories over Romm the Rampaging, or Yx'Lx the Invicible, or even Teldeath the Giant. More bawdy bards joked about his "conquering" of the Ice Witch. Of the rumors and tall tales, Cornelius knows them all. Whether it's because he lived them, or because he likes to tell stories himself, some people are uncertain... but get him good and drunk and he'll claim it's all true. And he'll mutter something about a curse. ''Advantages Anti-Magic Aura I Uncommon "A Boon and A Curse" Cornelius won't say, even when drunk, how he lost his hair at an early age, but after that, Magic just doesn't seem to work so well around him. Fireballs fizzle, enchantments break, Hellfire cools, and even those with other Magical Auras feel uncomfortable around Cornelius, as his Curse begins to dampen the fields of magic around them. Or course... this also means that healing magics don't work so well either. Anti-Magic Attack I Uncommon "A Curse and a Boon" After years of living a life without the benefits of hair on his head (oh, and also magic), Cornelius started to guess at his curse. And then he started to focus on making it work for] him. Cornelius can momentarily lose his defensive aura as he pushes it offensively onto something else, within a few feet of him. In this way, even the magically undying can once again know fear. Some part of Cornelius's body must still be covered by the anti-magical aura, and it does not change shape easily. All concentration must be focuses to push it away from himself. Usually, Cornelius covers his hands, and pushes the remaining aura right on top of his foe. Strength I Common "Body of a Hero" Taller than nearly any other human, more physically fit, strong as an ox, and hard to kill. And hey, not bad to look at either. Lucky I Common "Impossible Luck!" In an impossible situation, Cornelius always seems to pull through. It's as though luck were on his side. Charm I Uncommon "Winsome Smile" Cornelius smiles, and women want to be near him. Men want to be like be like him. Of course... sometimes people just get jealous. But hey! Winsome, lose some. Martial Style I Uncommon Gladiator Wrestling: {Sword, Shield, Clubs} "The Way of the Hero" A Hero is deft at hand to hand combat, able to close in on their foes and toss them around with ease. Cornelius understands his strength, and knows how to use it effectively in combat. He usually likes charging in and wrestling his enemies to the ground, or grappling with them, testing their physical might against his own. Though not always masters of the sword, it behooves a Hero to know which end is the pointy one. Cornelius particularly favors a longsword, but oddly doesn't carry one on his person. Nor does he carry a Shield, though he has been seen to use one in unconventional ways, much to the chagrin of the late Orsgrid the Unrelenting. And in a pinch, Cornelius wields just about anything as a club, and does so with an impressive flourish that can make a well trained soldier think twice.